Back to the OP: This is a subject area in which I have some expertise, so I can be a resource for any specific questions your DS may have, if you like.
This is a pretty short, simple summary of the basic tactics:
link. The differences between the two sides in this area are much smaller than most people realize. The colonists used partisan tactics to harass the British and interrupt supply lines. They also made good use of skirmishers (Daniel Morgan's riflemen being the most prominent example) due to their use of the long rifle. American officers were often insubordinate and self-serving, which often led to disaster (except at Saratoga, in which is was an advantage). Apart from that, and the fact that the Americans had to depend on undependable militia units, the two sides fought largely the same way. In fact, warfare looked much the same until the Civil War, where trench warfare was invented.
That site has some pretty good write-ups on battles in NJ, too. I would always recommend that anyone interested in understanding how the battles unfolded take a broader view, and attempt to understand the individual battles as part of a campaign. The battles do tend to flow one into another.
As far as understanding the political sphere, I second the recommendation for original source documents, but recognize that they're beyond 8th grade reading, nevermind 8yo reading. For a perspective from across the pond, I'd recommend seeking stories of Charles Fox and Edmund Burke, as the opposition voices in Parliament. I'd also recommend information on John Locke, since the rebellion was largely based on his philosophies. A compare/contrast of Locke/Rousseau will also do as a good backdrop for understanding the divides of Federalism/anti-Federalism, Federalists/Democratic Republicans, and John Adams/Thomas Jefferson, though this is mostly for understanding the era immediately following the Revolution.
